By Brian Randall
Wisconsin winters present a grass-based livestock operator with some issues. As the cool weather of fall turns cold, the grasses and legumes in the fields slow their growth to a crawl. This makes it more difficult to keep the livestock well fed and to keep the soil covered.
One way farmers in northern climates overcome these issues and still provide livestock with their nutritional needs is by bale grazing. This is essentially positioning a big round bale of hay in a field or paddock and allowing the animals access to it. But there is more to this strategy than meets the eye.
Adding fertility to steep pasture slopes ensures the soil stays in place come spring.
Using this method of feeding we are not only providing a great ration to our animals, but we are also feeding our soils. When a bale is situated in a field, the livestock congregate in that place, depositing nutrients in these areas in the form of urine and manure. This is why the positioning of the bale matters so much. Some areas require more nutrients than others, particularly if the area is prone to erosion. The bales, and subsequently the fertility deposits, are gradually moved across the field.
Because the ground is going through a freeze-thaw cycle during the cold months, compaction from animal traffic is less of a concern during the cold months, as long as the animals are sent back out to pasture as soon as the plants come out of dormancy. At this point the grasses and legumes in these areas begins to grow, often showing improvements in soil structure and forage quality.
Our beef cows on a steep section of pasture during the cold winter months
This strategy for feeding hay is a great way to return nutrients to the soil where we will need strong roots to hold the soil in place. There will still be plenty of issues that the cold weather will bring, but we can continue to benefit from the animals on the land even over the winter season.